


Elemental

by Sweetbriar15



Series: Elemental [1]
Category: W.I.T.C.H.
Genre: Adolescent Sexuality, Background Relationships, Canon Relationships, Coming of Age, Elemental Magic, Episode: s02e26 Z is for Zenith, F/M, Gen, Growing Up, Post-Series, Superpowers, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-06-09 17:39:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6916936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetbriar15/pseuds/Sweetbriar15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One week after their last battle with Cedric, a meeting in Kandrakar leads to some interesting discoveries for the Guardians.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Elemental

"I can hardly believe it's over."

Matt smirked as he met her eyes. "Knock on wood," he laughed.

Irma nudged him in the shoulder as she jumped onto the ledge that ran alongside the walkway. "I bet Corny can help you with that."

Cornelia rolled her eyes, shooting a half-hearted glare at her friend. "Don't call me Corny, Irma. I'll levitate you right over the edge."

"That would mean letting go of your boyfriend for more than a few minutes."

Cornelia's eyes narrowed on her friend. Her arm tightened around Caleb's waist in a slightly territorial way. The ex-rebellion leader's arm was already as secure as it would get around her own waist, so he settled on leaning in closer to her and whispering in her ear. The earth Guardian's expression went gooey, and she threw her arms around him for a kiss.

Laughing, Irma scooted off to throw  _her_  arms around Hay Lin and Taranee. Will expected her to throw a jab at their friend, but she understood when Irma withheld commenting on the spectacle that Caleb and Cornelia were making of themselves.

All the Guardians had been feeling particularly happy, forgiving and full of life for the past week. The girls had been touched by the experience of becoming their elements, and they had come to greatly appreciate being human. A little physical comfort of the kind that Caleb and Cornelia exhibited was really understandable. Once the Meridian boy had learned what the girls had gone through during their last battle with Cedric, he'd been pretty unwilling to leave Cornelia alone. And the blonde certainly hadn't minded.

Will's cheeks blushed slightly pink as her gaze darted to her own boyfriend, walking beside her through the halls of Kandrakar. Yes, cuddling with her boyfriend…and kissing him…were part of her happiness for being human again. And the scary part was, that if she hadn't been able to come back she wouldn't even have missed him. They hadn't even been human anymore, when they were in that state…

So, the Guardians had all very happily been enjoying their humanity since they got it back.

They hadn't transformed into their Guardian forms all week. New Year's Eve was in two days, and Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin were looking forward to a lot less W.I.T.C.H.-related activity in the near future. Nerissa's defeat had opened up all kinds of freedom. For instance, they weren't fighting with her constantly, because she was no longer there to fight. And Phobos was defeated, once again, after his involvement in the whole messed-up situation. He and Cedric were back in Meridian prison cells—this time, safeguarded by Elyon's magic, instead of the "Mage's".

Will shot another glance at Matt, and couldn't help thinking of Nerissa's defeat. Will felt that it was almost what she deserved, after everything she'd done. Will grimaced, thinking of what the former Guardian had done to her boyfriend. She deserved to pay for what she'd done to Matt alone, not even counting all the other lives she'd hurt.

Will held Matt's hand as securely as she dared while they strode through the corridors, wishing that she could find the words to tell him how sorry she was that he had to go through so much. But she hadn't been able to tell him that when he came back to her, and she still found herself tongue-twisted when the idea of saying anything about Shagon popped into her head.

This was one instance where Shagon was somewhat on her mind. W.I.T.C.H. had been summoned to Kandrakar. Caleb and Matt—present in the Silver Dragon—had decided to accompany them. Yan Lin wouldn't tell the girls what the Oracle wished to speak to them about, and Will got the impression that she wasn't sure what the Oracle wanted to say to them. So, they were all in Kandrakar—the site of one of Nerissa's attacks, made by the Knights of Destruction.

Kandrakar was surprisingly put back together, only a few areas showing signs of damage. Will was refusing to let go of Matt, simultaneously wishing she could say something and dreading the idea of having to put her sympathy into words. The small group passed along the balcony where they had fought some of the battle. Will very determinedly looked away from areas that were burned into her memory—where she had fought Shagon in her Guardian form, where she had run from his green eye-blasts in her human form—and noticed Matt's conspicuous silence. But what could she possibly say?

They were almost inside when the Oracle appeared in the doorway. "Welcome," he said, his calm and collected tones surprisingly soothing.

"Hello, Oracle," Yan Lin greeted, grinning widely. She folded her hands into her sleeves. "What brings us to Kandrakar today?"

He smiled, but his eyes landed on the Guardians. He looked at each in turn and raised his eyebrows. "Guardians, why have you not come in your transformed states?"

Will started. She hadn't even realized that they hadn't gone Guardian before coming to Kandrakar. Caleb and Matt hadn't said a word, and Yan Lin looked at them now, as if she had been waiting for this question to enter their minds. Will turned to her fellow Guardians. They looked at one another, before Hay Lin finally ventured to ask, "Is that a…problem?"

"Merely curious," the Oracle replied, crossing his own arms. A small frown appeared on his face. "Is it a problem for  _you_? Have you tried since defeating Cedric on your home of Earth?"

Will looked at the ground, scuffing her shoes on the stone. "Uh…no, we haven't tried…" She sighed. Matt squeezed her hand, and she had the courage to meet the Oracle's eyes and admit, "Look, it's just—weird, okay? After that whole thing, with us turning into fire and water and stuff…"

"Your Elemental forms, you mean?" The Oracle smiled gently when they blinked at him. "I had hoped that I would have had the ability to grace your generation of Guardians with this information, but obviously circumstances flew out of our control."

"Is that why you summoned us?" Taranee asked, nudging her glasses up her nose with one finger.

"Yes. If you would please enter," the Oracle gestured, turning back towards the interior of the floating fortress. "I have information to share with you. I just hope that it won't be too late."

Will led the way, tugging Matt behind her. Her forehead was creased into a frown. "What do you mean, too late?"

They entered a hall, which was empty of the other members of Kandrakar's council. The destruction in this room was also not fully cleaned up, but it looked better than it had right after the battle. The Oracle turned to them once everyone had entered, gesturing to the stadium seats around a central stone floor. "If you would please be seated, I will be able to answer all of your questions." Filing into their seats, the assembled people prepared to hear the Oracle's words.

He looked at them for a long minute before starting his story. "Once myself and my fellow council members had been freed from the prison Nerissa trapped us in, I had to meditate in order to fall back in sync with the universe. It took me this time to realize that you had transformed into your Elemental states, which I had thought you would not be able to accomplish until your sixteenth birthdays had been reached."

"But we're not," Will blurted. "Cornelia and I are fourteen."

"And Irma, Taranee and I are thirteen," Hay Lin added.

"That is why your Elemental states were so dangerous," the Oracle replied. "You were too young to attempt to control them, and therefore they controlled you. It was incredible that you managed to come back at all. I believe this shows the magnitude of your power, and the potential that you all have. With the Veil down, it appears that you will have greater strength than the former Guardians. They were never taught to use this specific ability. And since you used it so young, you weren't able to control yourselves. With practice and time, you would be able to."

Yan Lin's eyes widened in surprise. "You are sure of this? From inside the Meridian crystal, we couldn't even hear their minds—they had evolved so far beyond our reach."

"Inhumanity is a part of the state when it is utilized too early," the Oracle soothed her. "As I said before, with time and with practice the Guardians should be able to fully use this specific ability. Allowing the element to take control, and sitting back to direct it, is one of the highest levels of connection to the auremeres."

"But it was so scary." Will's eyes darted to Hay Lin's face as she bit her lip, admitting their fear out loud. "I mean…we didn't even miss what we'd lost. We didn't even remember anything."

Will felt Matt's arm slip around her shoulders, pulling her closer. She realized that she'd shuddered at the memories brought up.

The Oracle smiled kindly. "But how did you get back?"

The Guardians looked at one another, and one by one, turned to Will. "Will led us," Irma finally said, frowning slightly. "I mean…I could hear voices in the blackness, too, but Will seemed to know exactly where to go, when I could only hear words and couldn't figure out which way to go."

"Yeah, me too," Cornelia admitted. Taranee and Hay Lin nodded in agreement.

"And you, Will?" The Oracle asked, turning to her. "How did you know which direction to go?"

She looked at the ground, one hand closing around the Heart of Kandrakar. "It was weird…I could kind of feel the Heart, but that didn't give me a direction. And it didn't make me  _want_  to come back. Then…I could hear Matt. And I followed his voice," she admitted softly, her fingers twining with his. She felt him take a breath, and pull her closer, before she looked up.

The Oracle nodded as he processed this. "As I expected. The voice of a loved one was your motivation." Will blushed at his use of the word "love". "A strong connection to someone is absolutely vital in pulling yourself out of your Elemental states before you learn how to bring yourself back without the extra motivation."

"That's why Matt was able to reach Will," Taranee theorized, "but Halinor's voice meant so little to me. I had to follow Will the whole way out, and I almost got lost." She shuddered. Hay Lin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," Irma added, bumping Taranee's other shoulder with hers. "I heard Cassidy, but— _not_ , you know? It was hard for me, too."

Cornelia's hands tightened on Caleb's. "I  _heard_  Elyon easily. But it was still…hard, because I didn't have the same sense of direction with her. We haven't been super-tight in so long, not anymore. I mean, she's busy with her queenly duties and everything, I know, but still…my  _need_  to follow her voice was so dim, even though it was still there…" Will nodded, sharing a soft smile with her friend.

Hay Lin grinned at her grandmother. "I had two grandmothers calling me back. I think Will and I had the easiest time of it."

The Oracle nodded. "Good, good. This is as I expected. I only caution you," he held up a finger, "to refrain from entering this state. Even once you pass your sixteenth birthdays, it will take some time and practice before you can pull yourself out of it without the assistance of people outside who can call you back. Before your birthdays, if you attempt to enter your Elemental state, you may be unable to pull yourselves out of them."

"I am so not willing to try that again anytime soon," Irma said. "Even without your warning."

"Me neither," Hay Lin added. The other girls voiced their similar opinions one after another.

"Good," the Oracle nodded. Then he raised an eyebrow. "But your natural Guardian states are no danger to you, you realize. If you don't consciously focus on becoming your powers, then you cannot cross into your Elemental states. It is not an accidental transformation."

The girls all looked shyly at the ground. Will knew that she had been afraid of it, and she had thus avoided their Guardian states out of fear. "Yeah, okay…"

"Then will you try now?" Will blinked, startled. The Oracle smiled gently, but there was a crease in his forehead.

Mouth suddenly dry, Will forced herself to rise to her feet, leaving Matt's embrace behind unwillingly. The girls slowly joined her, Cornelia having to pry herself away from Caleb. They formed a loose circle, and Will held the Heart in front of her, taking slow breaths. She couldn't help the nervousness that had her fingers paralyzed around the glowing Heart.

"Will." Her eyes flicked to Matt's strong, steady gaze. "It's okay. Just try it."

His gentle urging prompted her to take a deep breath. She finally uttered, "Guardians…unite!"

The Heart glowed and rays of light zapped out of it, surrounding each of the girls' bodies. Will  _felt_  the glowing magic swirling out of the Heart, before it was wrapping itself around her limbs. Her head tilted back and her lips curved into a faint smile at the familiarity of the sensation of tingling, zipping magic coursing through her body, suddenly awakened by the magic of the crystal. The Heart itself sunk into her chest, becoming a part of her and disappearing from view. Her clothes disappeared as she was suddenly glowing in bright magic, and she felt her body growing and maturing. The skintight Guardian costume appeared, feeling like a second skin. And in her chest, she became aware of the power she could command. A power she now knew the name of—quintessence.

With the transformation complete, she opened her eyes and gazed around her. It was always a little strange to be in Guardian form. She was taller, and with her more mature…assets, it took a second to get used to the different way she would have to walk, the idea that she could fly if she wanted, and to stop herself from frantically trying to cover up. Her Guardian costume itself was slightly terrifying the first time she'd worn it around Matt. She hadn't noticed until that embarrassing moment how little she'd actually been wearing.

Now, she turned to him with wide, happy eyes. "We did it." They went through with it, after their terrifying experience in their—as the Oracle had called them—Elemental forms.

Matt seemed to understand what a big deal that was to her, to  _them_. W.I.T.C.H. He grinned up at her, resting his elbows on his knees. "Yeah, you did." Will, smiling, called forth a little spark of quintessence to her fingertips and watched it dance there for a moment. Then she extinguished it and turned to the Oracle.

The Oracle nodded slowly at all the Guardians. "Excellent. It appears your powers were not lost. This is a very good thing."

"We could have lost them?" Irma asked, her eyes widening.

"Yes," he replied simply. "You utilized a difficult power before you should have been able to. You weren't ready to use it, and it overcame you. Former Guardians have completely lost their abilities by trying to use their Elemental forms too early. That is why I had wished to wait until your sixteenth birthdays were approaching, before I told you about these abilities."

"Why was it that C.H.Y.K.N. didn't know?" Hay Lin asked, scratching her head. She glanced at her surprised grandmother. "I mean, grandma didn't know about this stuff, so…"

The Oracle sighed, his eyes darkening sadly. "I detected something undesirable in Nerissa by the time you had all turned fifteen. I decided that it would be better to warn you simply of your burgeoning powers, instead of telling you what else could be accessed. In her icy cave, Nerissa may have discovered her ability herself. After all, by that time they were in their twenties, and had a better chance of drawing themselves back from their elemental states than you would have, going into it blindly."

Will crossed her arms, frowning in confusion. "Wait, you detected it when she was fifteen, but didn't imprison her until she was in her twenties?" she asked, pointing her finger at the Oracle dubiously.

"Why didn't you remove her from her position or something? Fire her from Guardianship?" Irma added.

"Once you have been chosen and bonded to the auremere of your ability, that bond cannot be broken. Even death seems not to deprive a former Guardian of her capabilities, if Cassidy is any indication," the Oracle sighed. "These powers are truly yours for as long as you are alive."

"Wow." Will's lips twitched into a shaky smile. "This is really a life-long sentence, isn't it?"

"Yes, I believe you could call it that." The Oracle smiled back. "This meeting is serving dual purposes. Now that you know about your future abilities, available with less danger after your sixteenth birthdays, I must give you a second warning. The same one that the former Guardians received," he added, nodding to Yan Lin. She smiled, seeming pleased. "Your sixteenth birthdays are important dates for you to remember. You will experience the full magnitude of your powers at that time."

"Full…magnitude?" Will gulped. She really didn't like the sound of that. It sounded…ominous. "Um…what exactly does that entail?"

The Oracle smiled pleasantly. "The exact hour of the sixteenth anniversary of your birth is an auspicious time. Your powers will momentarily flood your system, much like the Elemental state. In fact, this would ordinarily be the first time you would experience the state. The former Guardians only experienced it for a minute, but since you broke through the shield of your abilities before your sixteenth birthday, the Elemental state may last longer for you than it did for them—anywhere from one minute to the full hour."

"Uh—okay. So…I don't know when I was born. The time, I mean," Will said, scratching her head sheepishly.

"Then find out from your parents. You will have to have at least an hour free on your sixteenth birthday at that time. You have time to prepare, but I suggest that you move quickly so that you can be prepared for the occasion." He waved on hand in Yan Lin's direction. "The former Air Guardian will be able to answer any more questions you have."

* * *

The Guardians folded back into the Silver Dragon's basement, tugging Matt, Caleb and Yan Lin along with them. Will immediately paced away from the group, her nerves completely frazzled. "…And how am I supposed to tell my mom to leave me alone for an  _hour_  on my  _birthday_?" she continued ranting. "I have no idea what time I was born, but I think she'd notice if I suddenly burst into  _electricity_! That means I have to know  _exactly_  when I was born, or I'm running the risk—and does she even  _know_? What if she  _doesn't_  know? Am I supposed to disappear for the  _day_? I—"

A pair of strong, large male hands landed on her shoulders, halting her frantic, pacing footsteps. "Will." Matt's blue eyes froze her in place as they locked on hers. "Calm down a sec, will you?"

"How can I calm down?" she whimpered, placing her own hands on his shoulders. She resisted the urge to shake him, knowing that she'd probably end up flinging him into a wall with her slightly superior strength. "One year and twenty-one days from now I am going to go all elemental again and I can't even control  _when_!"

The other girls shuddered as well, but Will was the only one who tended to rant when she was scared. Cornelia's grip had turned Caleb's hands white, and her eyes were focused unseeingly on the wall. Taranee kept flexing her fingers and muttering to herself. Hay Lin was taking deep, soothing breaths as she tried to find a Zen state. And Irma was scowling at everything around her, and would have snapped at anyone had they been in the mood to say anything to her.

All in all, the Guardians were a complete, nervous wreck.

"It won't be that bad," Yan Lin scoffed, drawing all of their eyes to her calm, composed face. "Think of it like being clothed in a suit of your element. Your mind won't change. It won't be a complete transformation into your Elemental state." The girls slowly started calming down—that was what the problem had been, after all. The idea of being stuck with temporary amnesia again had shaken them.

Yan Lin nodded as the girls calmed down, and focused on Will in particular. She gestured to Matt, who still held Will's shoulders in a steady, calm grip. "He can't be around when you go into it, though."

"Huh?" Will was confused.

"You'll be completely naked," Yan Lin replied. Will's cheeks burned red. "This won't be just an upgrade in your powers," Yan Lin continued, ignoring the blushing Guardian's embarrassment. She turned to the other girls. "The Oracle left it up to me to finish your education on the rest of these things you should know."

"Ooh, what else is there?" Hay Lin folded her legs up, landing on a cushion of air that held her floating above the ground.

Yan Lin raised her eyebrows at Matt and Caleb. "Girls only." The two boys shared one look—an "I don't think we want to be here" glance—before kissing their respective girlfriends on the cheek and heading upstairs. "Fortune cookies on the counter!" Yan Lin called after them. Cornelia and Will joined Irma and Taranee on the floor. After a moment, Hay Lin joined them by releasing the cushion of air she was floating on.

They all stared up with wide eyes at Yan Lin, who crossed her arms. A twinkle appeared in her eye as she began her lecture. "Your Guardian forms will change as well. Since you are young now, you appear as teenagers, but I am sure that you've noticed how similar your normal bodies are becoming to your Guardian bodies."

Each of the girls snorted. "All right, perhaps it is not complete yet. But it will be—this is how you will appear around your sixteenth birthdays, at least. Minus the wings."

Will grinned, and then blushed at her happiness. "Uh, as nice as it is to look into a futuristic mirror, I'm sensing there's more to the story besides knowing we'll all look hot at sixteen."

"Oh, your sixteenth birthdays will also give you new costumes." Yan Lin laughed. "And your Guardian states will mature, as well. I am sure you noticed that Halinor, Cassidy, Kadma and I did not appear to be teenagers?"

"Cool. New costumes and new bodies, again," Irma sighed. "So when we turn sixteen, we'll look twenty in Guardian form? As opposed to being sixteen and actually looking our age, in normal and Guardian form?"

"Yes." Yan Lin grinned, tapping her nose. "And you'll never age in your Guardian form again, so if you want to look young when you're old like me, just transform!" She laughed.

Will couldn't help laughing with her. How funny. "So we'll never age, technically? In our Guardian forms, I mean?"

"Nope. Lucky us, huh?" Yan Lin smiled at her granddaughter. "It's a Lin family secret to eternal beauty, my dear." They shared a laugh together.

"Wait," Hay Lin said, sitting up sharply. "When Nerissa used her seal on all of you to do the Guardian thing, does that mean…?"

"It wasn't a glamour that made us all look so young." Yan Lin grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Like I said, trick to looking young for forever. This is not just a little perk that you're given," Yan Lin added, raising her hand. "After all, how can you be a Guardian if you're an old lady? You must be able to fight and use your element. That is why your body, in Guardian form, is youthful and strong."

Cornelia grinned. "Cool." The other girls nodded, understanding dawning on their faces. "I'll look hot forever." Will, Taranee, Irma and Hay Lin rolled their eyes at each other, but Will, too, secretly shared that enthusiasm. If her body would look like this when she was sixteen…well, let's just say no Mandy or Sandra could compete with her for Matt's attention. Her cheeks darkened slightly at her secret happiness.

"This is really kind of cool," Irma commented, rising to her feet. "So, is that it?"

"Most certainly not. Sit down. There's one more thing that we have to talk about." Puzzled, Will rested back on her hands—she'd been poised to rise, too. Yan Lin looked at each of them seriously, then specifically at Cornelia and Will. "Now, I am sure that you've experienced this talk in various other places, but I don't think they'll cover your Guardian forms. So…don't do anything with a boy that would require taking your Guardian outfit off."

Will's jaw dropped. Irma threw her hands over her face. Taranee closed her eyes, her face like stone. Cornelia's cheeks turned bright red. Hay Lin stifled a sudden, explosive giggle.

Yan Lin stayed silent, waiting for a comment. Hay Lin was finally brave enough to ask what all the girls were thinking. "Is that…a really  _bad_  thing?"

"I'll say. You try searching for green and blue tights when you're on the roof of an apartment complex." That said, the elderly Lin grandmother turned and headed up the stairs with a last warning over her shoulder. "And latex protection is not going to help you when you have to run home wearing a tiny little skirt and nothing underneath!" She disappeared up the stairs.

The girls stayed completely silent for a moment, until Taranee's voice echoed in their heads. " _I'm not opening my eyes until you change us back, Will. I can't look at us without thinking about THAT."_  An echo of her queasiness filtered into the girls' heads.

Will instantly obliged, finding the same queasiness in her stomach. Once they looked like themselves again, the girls all looked at one another with wide eyes.

Irma finally broke the silence, pointing at Will and Cornelia in turn. "Don't you two ever dare do something like that in our Guardian forms!"

"Us?" Cornelia cried, her cheeks dark pink and slowly turning normal-colored again. "Why do you assume it would be us, Irma? You're the boy-crazy one!"

"Yeah, but none of the boys  _I_  like know about the Guardian thing!"

"So? We're not going to be doing… _it_ …anytime soon!" Cornelia stomped her foot indignantly. "We're fourteen, Irma!"

"…We won't be fourteen forever." They all turned in shock to Hay Lin. "What?" she said defensively, blushing lightly. "We won't!"

"And you think I'm going to do it with Caleb as soon as I can?" Cornelia stomped her foot again. "I am not a hussy!"

"We didn't call you that," Taranee soothed. "It's just that you and Caleb are so serious. More than any of our relationships—I mean, Nigel and Eric don't even know anything about Guardian stuff, the way Caleb and Matt do. Those are more serious relationships than the ones that Hay Lin and I are in, and have a much better chance of lasting long enough to reach that point. "

"And can you really see me in  _any_  serious relationship?" Irma added, jumping at the chance to calm Cornelia down. "Please. Martin scares them off with his obsession, or I scare them off myself! And I am so not the type of girl to go out with a guy a few times and then…you know, do  _it_."

"Taranee and I have serious boyfriends, but like you said, we're fourteen. The chances of those relationships really lasting long enough for us to be interested in doing…you know…are really small. I see Caleb and Matt sticking around long enough for you guys to reach that point, considering all that you've gone through together already. So, really, who would be the first of any of us to…you know, do it?" Hay Lin finished, holding her hands up in a 'who knows?' gesture. "You two."

Will had to admit that they had a point. It was far more likely for Caleb and Matt to stick around than it was for Eric and Nigel, who didn't know about W.I.T.C.H. and all that Guardian stuff. Cornelia and Will's relationships were already a lot more serious than any other fourteen-year-old girls', and that wasn't even going into the physical.

Cornelia didn't want to give in and admit that her friends were right, however. "That doesn't mean we're planning to," she sulked, crossing her arms. "We're…not that serious, yet. I mean, you know Caleb—he's so rebel leader, and 'I have to serve my queen!' And all that…"

Will understood, but she simply couldn't say a word. Her cheeks were bright red and she couldn't seem to find her voice. Irma, of course, noticed. A sly grin spread over her face at her new victim. Cornelia wasn't as much fun, but Will's blushing would make teasing her friend very entertaining. "Will Vandom!"

The redhead jumped like a deer caught in the headlights. "What?"

"You would be first!" Irma cackled.

"Huh?" Her cheeks darkened. "What? Who did what first?"

Irma crossed her arms. "You'll be the first non-virgin of all of us." Will spluttered, the girls gasped, and Irma added, "You would  _so_  be the first of us to try it."

"Huh?" Will squeaked.

Cornelia raised her eyebrow. "You know, I think you're right," she told Irma. Now that she wasn't the center of this embarrassing attention anymore, she was more than willing to join in on the teasing and giggling immaturity. Will felt slightly betrayed by Cornelia's suddenly wide smirk.

Hay Lin giggled at Will's bemusement. "I think so, too! I mean, like Cornelia said, we all know Caleb's such a goofball and so serious about all that leadership stuff. But Matt's more of a normal teenage boy and all that. Plus he's so attentive to Will, all the time…"

Taranee smirked. "Plus he's an  _older_ boy. You know how fifteen-year-old boys are." The other girls gasped, snickering at her insinuation. "And they certainly have the time…and the commitment…and the passion…" The four of them laughed.

Will found herself completely unable to speak as her friends giggled and twittered amongst themselves. Her face was brilliantly red when they kept snickering amongst themselves. She wished she could sink into a hole in the earth—in fact, was that the creak of the building collapsing in on them that she heard? She began backing up to the stairs, when Irma suddenly snorted, "I bet they're already done it! In the pet shop!"

Holy French fries, her friends were closet nymphomaniacs! Will was so startled that she shouted without thinking, "Matt and I did  _not_  have sex in the pet shop!" while waving her arms wildly.

That stopped them cold. All four girls stared at her with wide eyes. Will bet it had something to do with her using the proper word for the act. Honestly—what had happened to 'we're only fourteen'? They were  _way_  too young for this kind of—

Suddenly, her very immature friends were collapsed on the ground in fits of hysterical giggles. She stomped her feet indignantly. "Why are you all laughing?" she cried in frustration, feeling sparks of electricity flying in her hair.

Irma's response was, "His…face…" with wheezing, gasping breaths.

That didn't click for a long second, as she stomped her foot again. "Stop it! This is  _so_ not funny! And—and what do you mean?" she suddenly gasped, a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Irma?"

The Water Guardian lifted her head, gasping for air. Her wide eyes sparkled in mirth, her grin wicked. "Turn…around…"

The electricity in Will's hair zapped out of existence. Her hands flew to her face and she gasped, pressing her palms to her mouth.

Will didn't want to turn around. She didn't want to see what was behind her. But for some reason, her body didn't listen to her as she slowly pivoted on her heels. At least she'd managed to close her eyes, and through her lips came a pleading refrain of, "Please, oh please, oh please, please, please…"

Her eyes opened. The 'please' refrain hadn't worked.

Wide blue eyes locked on hers, full of astonishment and humor. Matt's lips were twitched into a smile that he was obviously trying to fight, while his cheeks were rather red in embarrassment. His arms were crossed, and he was leaning casually back against the handrail. Two steps up, Caleb was in a state of hysteria similar to his girlfriend's. Only, he wasn't collapsed on the ground: he'd managed to keep his feet under him.

Unable to think of a single thing to say, Will turned around with an 'eep' and glared at her traitorous friends. The girls had calmed down somewhat, but every now and then giggles erupted from them. She waited a long minute before saying anything, and in that time the only words she could come up with were, "I can't believe I call you my friends."

"Oh, trust us, honey," Irma snorted, "We're your friends."

"If we weren't, we  _could_  have completely ignored their presence and let you dig yourself into a deeper hole," Hay Lin giggled.

"But as it is, we got you to cut off before you could…uh, proverbially dig yourself to the center of the earth." Taranee was more or less back to normal. Cornelia was still curled up on the ground, grinning wildly and seeming way too happy. The Fire Guardian raised her eyebrows as she rose to her feet, and her eyes met Will's embarrassed gaze.

With careful, measured steps to the door, Taranee made it just past Will before commenting, "It could have been worse. I mean,  _Cornelia_ ," the blonde's head snapped up, "could have revealed her fascination with the idea of up-in-a-tree—"

"You're  _dead_!"

Laughing, Taranee threw herself up the stairs—with the furious blond surprisingly only a few feet behind her. They blew right past the suddenly stunned Caleb.

"Uh-oh." Irma winced. "That wasn't too smart." Hay Lin tore up after the two of them. Will blinked at the sudden absence of three people, and Irma scooted to her feet. "Cornelia really meant that," she told Will. "You could tell."

"Oh, boy." Will sighed. "We've got to—"

"Nah, Hay Lin can handle it. It's pretty easy to calm Cornelia down sometimes, and this'll be one of those times." Irma skirted around Will, and grabbed Caleb's arm with some force. "We'll need this, though." She disappeared up the stairs, dragging Caleb behind her.

It took Will a full minute to realize that she was left alone in the basement with her boyfriend. Her cheeks immediately went brick red again, and she hastily turned away from him. "Uh, oh, well, I should clean up or something," she babbled, grabbing a blanket from the floor and carrying it to the cot. "It's kind of messy in here, and, well…" She turned around, straight into Matt's chest. "Oomph!"

"Will, calm down," he sighed. The grin on his face wasn't fading, though.

"I, uh, oh, you know," Will gestured vaguely toward the doorway, and dropped her hands uselessly to her sides. She couldn't quite meet his eyes.

"You didn't mean for me to hear that?" he guessed.

"Um, well, no. No, actually." She jumped as his hands landed on her shoulders, and her cheeks darkened. Could they even get any darker?

"I know."

"I know, and well—what?" She hadn't expected that. She'd expected questions, and maybe a few comments about how immature it was to be so embarrassed, but this understanding she had not been prepared for.

He sighed—she could feel his breath over the top of her head. "Will, this is me, okay? The same person that you've been dating for the past year. It's not that big a deal to me, okay?"

She peeked up at him through her eyelashes, meeting his sincere blue eyes. "It's not?"

He shrugged one shoulder uncomfortably, but didn't seem willing to back off just yet. "Well, I know why you're…uncomfortable, and it's normal to be embarrassed, and all," he nodded vaguely, cheeks slightly pinker, "but that doesn't mean I…think less of you, or anything. For being embarrassed."

She blinked. That hadn't been a concern until he mentioned it, and now that he did…"You don't?" She was touched.

"Will…" Matt sighed, and then seemed to change tracks in his mind. "I'm a guy, okay? The things I head other guys talk about having  _actually_  done are a lot more embarrassing than my girlfriend denying that we've gone that far to her friends. Especially since it's true—we haven't done anything that extreme."

Will found herself frowning. "Extreme?" Did that mean that he thought doing anything with her…like  _that_ …was too much? "What do you mean, 'extreme'?"

He was silent for a moment, staring at her blankly. She felt her heart in her throat as she wondered if he meant that he'd…well, that he never considered going that far with her. Because it was her, and their relationship…wasn't like that. Or something.

He surprised her. "Do you feel comfortable with the idea of going that far?" he bluntly asked. She felt her cheeks turn to fire. "I take it by that blush your answer is 'no'."

"Yeah, that'd be a no."

A smile stretched across his face. "See? We're on the same page, then."

"We are?" she asked, surprised. He raised an eyebrow. "Well, I mean, it's just, you're older than me, and I don't know if you've ever gone—I mean, not that you're some kind of player! Or man-slut! Or—oh my g—"

He cut her off, rubbing her shoulder gently. "Will, it's okay. I know what you meant," he laughed. "And, well, no, I haven't done anything like that. Ever. I haven't really ever thought about it. I mean, I don't think I'm even ready to go that far, either. I'm still a kid too, you know? That doesn't mean I'm not interested, now that you're in my life, but…I was always raised to think of it as something significant, and a big choice. So I've always thought of it that way."

She found herself blinking again. "Huh?" She had a feeling that she knew what he meant, but she wasn't completely sure. And there was something in his explanation that made her feel warm and fuzzy inside, too. And…yeah, she was confused—about how she should feel, about what she should be thinking, about what her own ideas on…you know,  _that_ , really were.

"Will…" he sighed, smiling at the ceiling. Then his eyes locked on hers, and something sparked in them that made her feel like shying away. "Let me put it this way."

His voice had gone all…deep, and kind of seductive. Will found herself backing up. His arms directed her as she backed away, so she didn't trip over anything. No, she just suddenly found her back to the wall. "What are you…doing?" He smirked, and suddenly she was pressed between the wall and him. The sensation of his body against hersmade her stomach jump and her breathing speed up. "Matt!"

He leaned in, whispering in her ear. Her eyes closed slowly as he spoke. "Until you and I started going out, I hadn't really thought about going that far. I won't lie: I do want you  _that_  way." Her breathing hitched as she processed that. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to pressure that out of you. Personally, I don't think I'm ready for that step, no matter how much the idea…interests me. I'd like to wait until I am ready. And I'm perfectly content to wait until you're ready, too. That doesn't mean I'm not eager for it, or looking forward to it—but I think I can handle waiting for you."

"Matt…" she breathed, so touched by his words, so overwhelmed by his closeness, that she couldn't even think of anything to say. Tears formed in her eyes.

Man, she was so lucky. She was so lucky to have a guy like him as her boyfriend. She was no expert on relationships, but she was pretty sure that not every boyfriend would say things like that to his girlfriend. He was so…sweet, and so caring. And so trusting—she saw the apprehension in his eyes, the embarrassment. The look in his eyes that said "oh my god, what did I just admit out loud?"

She shook her head, smiled, and replied softly, "I think I can handle waiting for both of us to be ready, too."

He nodded, his forehead touching hers. "Good."

They stared at each other for a long, long time, neither of them moving. Will was pretty happy right where she was, and she didn't think it was possible to be any happier. The moment was perfect and peaceful. There was no weirdness in the silence between them, no need to either put some space between their bodies or close the short distance with a kiss. There was…contentment. She was floating on a cloud of blissful happiness.

Until the basement door creaked again and a female voice called down, "Pink poufy perky pumpkin!"


End file.
